The Little World

I had no idea what to expect with the Mirage model of the little armoured car – the firm was a mystery to me. I was pleasantly surprised.

Precision in some scale modelling is everything…and in other cases it is nothing. Some makers have magnificent box art disguising parts that frankly do not fit together. You wonder if they are having a joke with you, with only them laughing… In the case of this Mirage model the opposite was the case; once the minor fettling and cleaning was out of the way, it all slipped together magnificently.

I run on hope and encouragement, and when I can see the dry-fit stage working well, I take the leap of faith and start to cement things. The old-fashioned tube of viscous cement has given way to a modern bottle of liquid, but I still remember how to spread it and when to clamp. The different consistencies of cement are the score upon which the styrene symphony is played.

The S.P. is slightly crumbly, if you press it with a blade, but sanded – it is fine. Bit by bit, parts attach to the main body and you begin to appreciate just how foolishly hopeful the Polish army was at the time. This vehicle would have been the terror of a battlefield in 1880 or in a deserted village street, but against real panzers in the open…